Consider the following statements about a p-n junction diode:
(A) The arrow in the symbol of a p-n junction diode shows the conventional direction of current under forward bias.
(B) The reverse current of a diode is limited by the magnitude of the applied reverse voltage.
(C) At the breakdown voltage, the reverse current of the diode increases sharply.
(D) The depletion region has a very high resistance compared with the p-side and the n-side.
Which of the above statements are incorrect?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → (B) only
(A) The arrow in the symbol of a p-n junction diode shows the conventional direction of current under forward bias. — Correct statement. Under forward bias, conventional current flows from the p-side to the n-side, in the direction of the arrow.
(B) The reverse current of a diode is limited by the magnitude of the applied reverse voltage. — Incorrect statement. Even a small reverse voltage sweeps the minority carriers across the junction. So the reverse current depends on how many minority carriers there are on each side.
(C) At the breakdown voltage, the reverse current of the diode increases sharply. — Correct statement. The reverse current stays almost constant up to the breakdown voltage. At this voltage it rises sharply.
(D) The depletion region has a very high resistance compared with the p-side and the n-side. — Correct statement. The depletion region has almost no free charges, so its resistance is very high. That is why the applied voltage drops mostly across it.
NCERT (2026-27):
Semiconductor Diode – “The direction of arrow indicates the conventional direction of current (when the diode is under forward bias).”
p-n junction diode under reverse bias – “… The current is not limited by the magnitude of the applied voltage but is limited due to the concentration of the minority carrier on either side of the junction.”
p-n junction diode under reverse bias – “When V = Vbr, the diode reverse current increases sharply.”
p-n junction diode under forward bias – “(This is because the resistance of the depletion region – a region where there are no charges – is very high compared to the resistance of n-side and p-side.)”